


Night Terrors

by daisyisawriter91



Series: Don Winchester [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Mob, Balthazar is a Mystery, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 04:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14205279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisyisawriter91/pseuds/daisyisawriter91
Summary: Henry is haunted by the memories of innocents he killed. Balthazar can help.





	Night Terrors

_The gun went off in Henry’s hand. He’d lived this day before. Too many times had he lived this day before. He just wanted to stop living it, but he doubted such a thing would happen._  
In slow motion, Henry watched the bullet leave the chamber and fly through the air. he wanted to stop it, to go back and change it, but he couldn’t. Helplessly, he grasped for the bullet, to stop it, but to no avail. It was set on its course, and wouldn’t stop for the world. Just like it hadn’t, back then. There was nothing Henry could do to change his fate.  
The bullet landed in the head of the woman. And Henry wept inside his mind, forever trapped in a memory. 

 

Henry woke up with a gasp, sweat drenching his skin, hair slicked to his head. He sat bolt upright, sheets practically suffocating him. He threw them off and tried to steady his breathing, pushing the hair off his forehead.  
It was still dark outside, and Henry’s alarm clock read 3 AM. The lights of New York City filtered in through his stained glass window that depicted a magnolia. In the distance, a siren went off, as was the usual. Atticus, Henry’s cat, jumped onto the bed, barely distinguishable from the darkness. If it was possible for a cat to look worried, Atticus certainly did.  
Seeing no point in staying in bed, Henry stood up and walked out to his kitchen, stumbling around in the dark. He flicked on a light, but he’d forgotten his glasses. And until he wasn’t shaking, he wasn’t going to retrieve them.  
Forcing the tremor in his hands to stop for just a moment, he grabbed a glass and turned on the sink tap. He watched it fill, mind blanking for only a moment. Cold water ran over his hand, and he jolted back into awareness. He quickly turned off the tap and began to take a drink.  
The water felt good. A balm against old wounds, as it were.  
After a long drink, he set the water down on the counter. It was time to try again, hopefully stave off the nightmares. Like that had ever worked. Nightmares had been plaguing him for six years, it wasn’t likely they’d stop anytime soon.  
Just as he was about to return to bed, a sound kept him in place. A knock at his hatch.  
From a nearby drawer, he grabbed one of the multiple guns around his house and released the safety.  
“Henry?” Came the muffled voice of Balthazar. “Henry, it’s me.”  
Henry let out the breath he’d been holding and put his gun back in the drawer, locking the safety back up. He walked over to the hatch and yanked it open, standing back to let Balthazar enter. He did, and he looked like he’d been put into a dryer. Disheveled, exhausted, and a bit dizzy.  
“Balthazar, what are you doing here?” Henry asked. He tried to keep his tone gentle, but in his frazzled state, he wasn’t sure he’d succeeded.  
“I…I don’t remember. It made sense. But I don’t know why…” Balthazar looked a bit out of it. And he sounded even worse.  
“Are you alright? What happened?” Henry questioned, stepping towards him.  
“I’m fine. I just…I’ve had a night.” Balthazar replied.  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
“No…no. It’s late. I should just leave.” Balthazar said.  
“Don’t.” Henry countered, suddenly. Now that he wasn’t, he realized he couldn’t be alone. “Please…don’t.”  
It was then that Balthazar looked at Henry for a long moment. Saw the sweaty skin, the dark circles, the panicked eyes. Without waiting for a prompting, Balthazar enveloped Henry in a hug, which Henry returned in full, clinging to Balthazar like a lifeline.  
“Oh, Henry…” Balthazar murmured. “What happened?”  
“It doesn’t matter.”  
“Clearly, it does.” Balthazar argued, pulling away just enough to grab Henry’s face. “Please tell me, darling.”  
“The people…” Henry tapped his tattoo, lightly. “They won’t let me sleep, not for a single night.” He confessed, looking down at his feet. “I can’t remember the last time I slept an entire night.”  
Balthazar was silent, and Henry worried that bringing up his innocent victims would be the end of it all. He wouldn’t blame Balthazar at all for leaving. He still hadn’t forgiven _himself_ , how could Balthazar forgive him for such a thing?  
“Let me sleep with you.” Balthazar suggested. Henry looked up at him, surprised. “Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting anything untoward, unless you’d like that.” Balthazar’s heart was only partially in the flirtation. He was sincere, and Henry could tell. “I’m an incredibly light sleeper. I’ll wake you up. Besides…I’m not sure I can be alone, tonight.”  
“What sort of night have you had?” Henry asked.  
“One I’d very much like to forget.” Balthazar confided.  
Henry took his hand and led him to the bedroom. Usually, it was the other way around, and it felt strange. Especially knowing that this would end differently than all those other times.  
Atticus had since moved from Henry’s bed, leaving the space open for the two of them. They settled into Henry’s bed, and Henry had no idea what to do. He counted every single one of Balthazar’s breaths, still unsure how close he should be. Balthazar clearly picked up on it.  
“Henry, you’re stiff as a board. When was the last time you slept in the same bed with someone?” He murmured into the quiet of the bedroom.  
“Never.” Henry answered, truthfully, matching Balthazar’s volume. They had only been dating a week, not long enough to have naturally shared a bed before. Henry was too scared of his night terrors being revealed to try anything, even sexually. As it turned out, he had nothing to worry about.  
“Surely, you’ve had relationships?” Balthazar reasoned.  
“Just one that lasted past the morning.”  
Balthazar’s expression was unreadable, especially in the darkness. He reached out and brushed Henry’s cheek. The touch made Henry’s spine tingle.  
“Sleep, Henry. I’ll wake you when you need me to, alright? Let the ghosts be just that for tonight.”  
Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Henry was drifting off to sleep. Though he still wondered what sort of night Balthazar had had, he found it was bothering him less and less.  
He slept the whole night through. And when he awoke, it was to Balthazar making breakfast.


End file.
